economy
March 28, 2026
The cruel truth about the lives of seasonal workers in the 'promised land': 16-hour workdays, poor housing, and meager wages
According to the German News Agency (dpa), almost nothing would function in German fields without them. Seasonal workers from Eastern Europe pick asparagus or strawberries, but very often they continue to work in difficult conditions.
TL;DR
- Seasonal workers from Eastern Europe are crucial for German agriculture, comprising 28% of cross-border agricultural workers.
- Reports indicate long working days (up to 16 hours) and weeks (over 70 hours), along with poor accommodation.
- Illegal practices such as unjustified deductions and contractual penalties reduce workers' actual wages, despite the formal payment of minimum wage.
- Work intensity has increased, with higher harvesting targets for crops like asparagus.
- The number of inspections by labor control units has significantly decreased, while the rate of minimum wage violations remains high.
- New regulations link agricultural subsidies to fair labor and health standards ('social conditionality'), but unions argue for better implementation, including minimum wage and maximum working hours.
- Unions oppose proposals to reduce the minimum wage for seasonal workers, viewing it as discriminatory and counterproductive given labor shortages.